There's no doubt about it - young children love learning about forces and motion. It's so hands on!!!
Let's remind ourselves that a force is a push or a pull. A force can start an object moving, stop an object, make it change direction or shape, slow it down or speed it up! Forces are all around us!!! Why not try some of these activities.
10 Best Force And Motion Activities For Young Children
1. Friction. Try some toy cars down a ramp with different surfaces.
If you don't have any ramps, the floor or table top will do. Different surfaces you could try include wood, carpet, sand paper, fabric or plastic. Measure how far the car travels when pushed on each of the different surfaces.
2. Gravity. Make a straw rocket.
Make a thimble shaped rocket to go over one end of a straw. Blow hard through the other end of the straw to launch the rocket upwards. Observe that gravity pulls the rocket back down to the ground.
3. Magnets. Do Magnets Work Through Water?
Make a toy boat out of a plastic container. Place a magnet inside and put the boat in the water. Hold a magnet under the water - does it move the boat?
4. Air Resistance. Make A Parachute.
Make a simple parachute for a toy.
Drop two similar toys from the same height at the same time. One attached to a parachute - one without. Watch what happens. Does the parachute slow the toy's drop to the ground?
5. Push. Build A Ramp.
Build a ramp using a variety of objects. Does the height of a ramp change the distance a car will travel? Push the car flat on the ground. Measure the distance travelled. Try the same car, pushed with the same force down the ramp. Measure the distance travelled. What happens?
6. Change Direction. Make a Maze.
Make a maze for a marble using straws stuck onto a piece of card.
7. Push . Make a dominoes run.
Children will LOVE this activity!
8. Pull. Play tug of war.
Who can pull with the most force?
9. Change Direction. Marble Painting.
Place a piece of paper in a tray. Add some dots of different colored paints. Add 6-8 marbles and use your hands to move the marbles around the tray, in and out of the paint. This will give a wonderful paint effect on the paper.
10. Change Shape. Playdough.
Good old playdough! What can be more fun than a lesson playing with dough? Explore how the dough can be squashed and stretched to change the shape.
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